Medtronic Micra (pacemaker)

Micra is the first-ever intracardial pacemaker. For 2016, unlike other similar Micra devices  does not require transaction and  leading to  heart of electrodes — the device  is entered into  heart through a femoral vein  using a catheter and  is fixed by flexible teeth directly in  the right ventricle.

By the Micra sizes there are less classical pacemakers approximately for 93%. It can work uninterruptedly within 12 years, supports a possibility of reprogramming and does not prevent carrying out inspections by means of magnetic resonance imaging.

2019

Medtronic told about defects in pacemakers

In the middle of September, 2019 Medtronic announced the rejected pacemakers which are implanted in Russia and in other countries of the world. It turned out that by August the company received 52 complaints from doctors who had problems with installation of IKD Micra. Defects of a pacemaker forced doctors to increase duration of the procedure of implantation or to perform additional operation.

In particular, as the company explained, washing of a system of delivery after cutting of the conductor can lead to the fact that the free end of the conductor will get to the ventricular camera and gets confused. Such situation can potentially interfere with removal of the conductor from the system of delivery and, perhaps, will not allow to set Micra pacemaker timely. Lethal cases in connection with this problem were not noted. The company does not announce any injuries which arose thereof defect.

Medtronic announced the rejected pacemakers which are implanted in Russia

The miniature system of transkateterny stimulation Micra is the smallest pacemaker in the world which is delivered chreskozhno using minimum invasive access directly to the right ventricle. The powerful battery provides an average term of service IKD of 12 years, and the MRI SureScan technology allows to carry out by MRT of all body of the patient of the patient on scanners 1.5T or 3T.

In the special letter warning the Medtronic company provided to doctors the updated installation instructions of a pacemaker. Representatives of the company insist that updating belongs only to procedures of implantation and does not call into question efficiency of IKD or service life of its battery. Concerning patients with already implatirovanny Micra device no actions are provided as updating of instructions concerns only installation processes.^[1]

In Russia the first operations on implantation of a micro pacemaker of Medtronic are performed

On March 27, 2019 there was information that the Novosibirsk doctors the first in Russia started testing of a compact pacemaker of Medtronic Micra of production of the American company Medtronic which sponsors carrying out a research. Read more here.

2018: Shutdown of Internet updating because of threat of cyber attacks

On October 12, 2018 in connection with threat of cyber attacks announced producer of medical Medtronic Plc devices deactivation of Internet updating for 34 thousand programmator of CareLink used by physicians worldwide for access to electropacemakers of patients.

According to the company, having used vulnerability in devices, malefactors can do harm to patients depending on scale and the purpose of the attack and also from the patient's status, Reuters reports. According to the letter sent to physicians in October, 2018, Medtronic Plc is not known of vulnerability operation cases.

The management on sanitary inspection behind product quality of a power supply and medicines of the USA studied a problem and approved the solution of producer to disconnect upgradeability of devices on the Internet. The regulator recommended to physicians to continue to use CareLink, but not to try to update software on the Internet. From patients no actions are required.

According to the researchers who detected a problem, with its help the malefactor can update a programmator using harmful updating, and then perform an attack on an electropacemaker.

For October, 2018 it is possible to set updates manually through USB. ^[2]

2016: Medtronic told about efficiency of the device

In May, 2016 the producer of the medical equipment Medtronic published the data showing security and efficiency of the pacemaker of Micra at physical activities.

According to the cardiologist John Morgan, in addition to wireless technology and the miniature sizes of the device, application of such pacemaker reduces risk of developing of an infection and reduces renewal period and adaptations of an organism to the implanted device.

At an annual scientific conference of Society of studying of a warm rhythm (Heart Rhythm Society) in San Francisco (California, the USA) researchers reported that even at the maximum loads during the occupation on the Micra racetrack within three hours provided suitable stimulation with frequency adaptation at 20 patients.

Many patients with bradycardia need stimulation with frequency adaptation after their frequency of reductions of heart increases during physical exercises — Razali Omar, the senior consultant-cardiologist at National Institute of heart to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) says. — Normal pacemakers use different sensors out of heart to identify activity of the patient, but even these sensors can not cope with determination of moderate physical activity.

The pacemaker of Medtronic as specialists found out, precisely reacted to levels of activity of the people who took part in testing due to use of the accelerometer in heart.^[3]

2014: The first implantation. Work on a wireless zardka

At the beginning of May, 2014 Medtronic Micra pacemaker was implanted to the first patient into the USA. It by the sizes - no more cap of the handle is also established right in the heart. However, the fact that the considerable volume of this implant is occupied by the battery. It should provide at least 10 years of independent operation. After that - it is necessary to perform surgery on its replacement. And here if it was possible to solve a problem of recharge of such implant - it could be still many times less and it would not need to be replaced. Specialists of Stanford University closely approached the solution of this task. Their technology allows to recharge implants using the wireless electromagnetic communication harmless to an organism. On video it is shown how using this technology it is possible to stuff a human body with bugs of the size of a rice kernel which will stimulate nerves at people with Parkinson's disease or to manage a heart rhythm.

2013: Micra presentation - the smallest pacemaker in the world

The Medtronic company lagged behind the competitors in the market of pacemakers of St. Jude Medical. Those already certified in Europe the first intracardial pacemaker of Nanostim. And Medtronic only began clinical trials the of similar model.

Well, at least, they are proud of the fact that their pacemaker of Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) - the smallest in the world. It has the form of the capsule too and is established right in the heart through a femoral vein. Too it is not necessary to carry out difficult implantation of electrodes to heart or even more difficult operation on their replacement. And too such pacemaker means more comfortable feelings since it is not necessary to carry an iron box under skin for the patient.

2011: Showed to Medtronic the future of pacemakers

Medtronic - the world leader in production of pacemakers, and it is possible, the world leader in quantity of the saved lives using medical technologies. In the presentation at the TEDMED exhibition Stephen Esterle, the vice president of Medtronic company, showed the future of pacemakers which will come already very soon. In 3-4 years of Medtronic will release a miniature pacemaker, of the size of the medicine capsule. In it there will be no wires and electrodes (and as you know wires in heart are the most problem element of modern pacemakers). In it there will be a wireless communication for monitoring of work of heart and reprogramming using the normal smartphone. At the same time, even the student of medical school will be able to set such pacemaker.

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